Canadians were outraged when serial killer Paul Bernardo was transferred to a medium security facility back in May, but Correctional Services Canada is standing by their decision after sharing the results of a report on the transfer.
Corrections Commissioner Anne Kelly says she created a review committee to take another look at the decision because she had been hearing a range of opinions on the matter and wanted to ensure the accuracy of the decision.
“The review committee concluded that the decisions to reclassify this inmate to medium security and transfer him to La Macaza institution was sound and followed all applicable laws and policies. It also concluded that we followed applicable laws and policies regarding victim notification,” said Kelly.
She says that inmates are evaluated on a regular basis to determine their security status. The CSC uses a statistical component with objective, research-based actuarial tools and a clinical study based on three factors; Institutional adjustment (meaning how the inmate is responding to life behind bars and what level of supervision they require), escape risk, and risk to the public.
Bernardo was assessed as moderate for institutional adjustment and escape risk, but still was deemed as a high risk to the public.
“The final risk assessment, which combined the actuarial score, and the assessment of the three areas determined that his security classification was medium,” said Kelly.
Bernardo had spent the last 30 years in maximum security prisons after being convicted for murder and aggravated sexual assault. He was deemed a dangerous offender making it unlikely that he will ever spend another day of his life outside of prison.
